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Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo insists he is allowed to celebrate on the pitch with his players, but admits he has found it 'very difficult' to control his emotions

Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo has admitted he has found it “very difficult” to control his emotions towards the end of the season as his team bid to secure promotion to the Premier League.

The 44-year-old has rushed onto the pitch at full-time to celebrate with his players on numerous occasions this season, with one particular instance attracting the scorn of Cardiff boss Neil Warnock.

Following Wolves’ dramatic 1-0 win at Cardiff earlier this month, Nuno ran onto the pitch to celebrate before attempting to shake hands with his counterpart, leading Warnock to label him “a total disgrace”.

Asked about his exuberant behaviour, Nuno replied: “I didn’t invade the pitch. I am allowed to go on the pitch.

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“When you look at these particular games it’s very difficult to control your emotions. We had nine men on the pitch for a long time and we know what the win meant to us.

“Of course I wanted to celebrate with my players. Football is a fantastic game and we have to enjoy it and be free to show our happiness.”

Wolves play Birmingham at Molineux on Sunday – live on Sky Sports – and know that a win will secure promotion to the Premier League.

However, Birmingham have recently appointed Garry Monk as manager and are battling relegation, leading Nuno to expect a tough challenge from Wolves’ Midlands rivals.

He said: “The game is not going to be a party. We know the importance of the game and what it means to us.

“When you are talking about the derby everything changes. What I really expect is a good atmosphere.

“It’s going to be very difficult. They changed managers and I think Garry is doing a very good job. The results are there and they are fighting for their lives.

“But we are fighting for something really important for us – to win at Molineux in front of our crowd. All the ingredients for a good game are there.”